Recently, considerable research has been conducted on nanostructures including carbon nanotubes (CNTs), nanowires, nanorods, etc. One outcome of such research is the discovery that the CNT can be used as a probe tip of an atomic force microscope (AFM). The probe tip of an AFM should have sufficient strength to resist impact with a specimen surface in operation and should have a high aspect ratio to enhance resolution of the probe tip.
CNTs have good chemical-resistant properties and good mechanical strength and may provide for a high aspect ratio, and thus may be a promising candidate for attachment to the probe tip of an AFM. In order to apply a CNT to a probe tip of an AFM, several techniques have been devised to form a needle-shaped CNT at an apex of a probe tip. For example, one technique for attaching a CNT involves attaching a CNT to a silicon tip coated with an adhesive (see, for example, Appl. Phys. Lett. 73(23) 3465-3467, 1998 by S. S. Wong, et al. or Nature 384(14), 147-150, 1996 by H. Dai, et al.)